Golf club

ABSTRACT

A golf club head, including a striking face having a plurality of grooves formed therein, a center region, a toe region, and a heel region, and a plurality of miniature grooves formed therein. The plurality of miniature grooves are limited to the central region of the striking face, with each of the plurality of miniature grooves extending across the striking face parallel to the grooves, and each of the plurality of miniature grooves having a miniature groove width of less than 0.500 mm.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation-In-Part of co-pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/812,990, filed on Nov. 14, 2017, which isa Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/863,724, filed onSep. 24, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,844,709, the disclosures of which areall incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology generally relates to systems, devices, andmethods related to golf clubs, and more specifically to golf clubshaving an improved groove configurations from plating.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNOLOGY

Golf clubs, combined with golf balls, have generally been considered tobe the most essential equipment in the game of golf. Progressing inparallel with the development of the game of golf, significantdevelopments have occurred within the golf equipment industry. Golfclubs have also developed simultaneously with all other types of golfequipment to accommodate for the needs of the golfer to hit their shotsmore accurately and with more control.

Iron type golf clubs include both conventional iron clubs as well aswedges. Each golf club includes a shaft with a club head attached to thedistal end of the shaft and a grip attached to the proximal end of theshaft. The club head includes a face for striking a golf ball. Ingeneral, the greater the loft of the golf club in a set, the greater thelaunch angle and the less distance the golf ball is hit. A set ofconventional irons generally includes individual irons that aredesignated as number 3 through number 9, and a pitching wedge. Theconventional iron set is generally complimented by a series of wedges,such as a lob wedge, a gap wedge, and/or a sand wedge. Sets can alsoinclude a 1 and 2 iron, but these golf clubs are generally soldseparately from the set. Each iron type golf club has a shaft lengththat usually decreases through the set as the set as the loft for eachgolf club head increases, from the long irons to the short irons.Additionally, iron type golf clubs generally include grooves runningacross the striking face from the heel towards the toe to increase thefriction between the striking face and golf ball, inducing spin on thegolf ball as the striking face impacts the golf ball.

Wedges are a particular type of iron type golf clubs that generally havea higher loft angles. These higher lofted wedges tend to be precisioninstruments that allow a golfer to dial in short range golf shots withimproved trajectory, improved accuracy, and improved control.

Conventional iron type golf club heads are created in a variety of ways,some of which include castings, forgings, as well as combinations of thetwo. Generally, conventional production iron type golf club heads arecast or forged to a near net final shape, such that only minor machiningand/or grinding operations are necessary to achieve the finishedproduct.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices described herein have innovativeaspects, no single one of which is indispensable or solely responsiblefor their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of theclaims, some of the advantageous features will now be summarized.

The present technology generally relates to golf clubs, and the methodsrelated to the golf clubs, having improved striking surfaces. Morespecifically, the present invention is directed to iron type golf clubsmanufactured for increased durability, precision and/or improvedaesthetics. The improved striking surface improves the performance ofthe golf club by increasing the amount of backspin created by the golfclub when striking the golf ball, improving ball flight as well asstopping power on the green.

One non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includes a golfclub head, comprising: a body, said body comprising: a striking face ona forward portion of said body, said striking face configured to strikea golf ball; a sole on a bottom portion of said body; a top line on atop portion of said body; a hosel configured to receive a shaft, saidhosel located on a heel side of said body, said heel side opposite a toeside of said body; wherein said striking face comprises a plurality ofgrooves formed therein, each of said plurality of grooves extendinghorizontally across said striking face; each of said plurality ofgrooves having a groove width greater than or equal to 0.500 mm; whereinsaid striking face comprises a front surface, and wherein said groovewidth of each groove is the distance between an uppermost intersectionof each groove and said front surface and a lowermost intersection ofeach groove and said front surface; wherein said striking face comprisesa center region, a toe region, and a heel region, said center regionextending from a toe most portion of said grooves to a heel most portionof said grooves, said heel region located on a heel side of said centerregion and said toe region located on a toe side of said center region;a plurality of miniature grooves formed in said striking face, saidplurality of miniature grooves limited to said central region of saidstriking face, each of said plurality of miniature grooves extendingacross said striking face parallel to said grooves, each of saidplurality of miniature grooves having a miniature groove width of lessthan 0.500 mm, wherein said miniature groove width is the distancebetween an uppermost intersection of each miniature groove and saidfront surface and a lowermost intersection of each miniature groove andsaid front surface; and a plurality of arcuate grooves limited to saidtoe region; wherein said grooves, said miniature grooves, and saidarcuate grooves do not intersect one another.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology saidstriking face comprises a plurality of groove absent regions, saidgroove absent regions located between each pair of said plurality ofgrooves, wherein each groove absent region comprises at least threeminiature grooves.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology eachgroove absent region comprises at least four miniature grooves and lessthan eight miniature grooves.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology eachgroove absent region comprises five miniature grooves.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technologyoffset width below is the distance between said lowermost intersectionof each of said plurality of grooves and said front surface and theclosest intersection of said plurality of miniature grooves and saidfront surface, wherein offset width above is the distance between saiduppermost intersection of each of said grooves and said front surfaceand the closest intersection of said plurality of miniature grooves andsaid front surface, wherein said offset width below and said offsetwidth above of each of said plurality of grooves are each greater thanor equal to 0.352 mm.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technologyoffset width below is the distance between said lowermost intersectionof each of said plurality of grooves and said front surface and theclosest intersection of said plurality of miniature grooves and saidfront surface, wherein offset width above is the distance between saiduppermost intersection of each of said

$\frac{\left( {{O\; W\; A} + {O\; W\; B}} \right)}{2} > \left( {\sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W}} - \sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W} - {M\; G\; W}}} \right)^{3}$

grooves and said front surface and the closest intersection of saidplurality of miniature grooves and said front surface, wherein miniaturegroove pitch is the distance between corresponding points on each ofsaid plurality of miniature grooves within each of said groove absentregions, and wherein said offset width above, said offset width below,said miniature groove pitch, said groove width, and said miniaturegroove width, each measured in millimeters, satisfy the followingrelationship:

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesa golf club head, comprising: a body, said body comprising: a strikingface on a forward portion of said body, said striking face configured tostrike a golf ball; a sole on a bottom portion of said body; a top lineon a top portion of said body; a hosel configured to receive a shaft,said hosel located on a heel side of said body, said heel side oppositea toe side of said body; wherein said striking face comprises aplurality of grooves formed therein, each of said plurality of groovesextending horizontally across said striking face; each of said pluralityof grooves having a groove width greater than or equal to 0.500 mm;wherein said striking face comprises a front surface, and wherein saidgroove width of each groove is the distance between an uppermostintersection of each groove and said front surface and a lowermostintersection of each groove and said front surface; wherein saidstriking face comprises a center region, a toe region, and a heelregion, said center region extending from a toe most portion of saidgrooves to a heel most portion of said grooves, said heel region locatedon a heel side of said center region and said toe region located on atoe side of said center region; and a plurality of miniature groovesformed in said striking face, each of said plurality of miniaturegrooves extending across said striking face parallel to said grooves,each of said plurality of miniature grooves having a miniature groovewidth of less than 0.500 mm, wherein said miniature groove width is thedistance between an uppermost intersection of each miniature groove andsaid front surface and a lowermost intersection of each miniature grooveand said front surface; wherein said striking face comprises a pluralityof groove absent regions, said groove absent regions located betweeneach pair of said plurality of grooves, wherein each groove absentregion comprises at least three miniature grooves; wherein offset widthbelow is the distance between said lowermost intersection of each ofsaid plurality of grooves and said front surface and the closestintersection of said plurality of miniature grooves and said frontsurface, wherein offset width above is the distance between saiduppermost intersection of each of said grooves and said front surfaceand the closest intersection of said plurality of miniature grooves andsaid front surface, wherein miniature groove pitch is the distancebetween corresponding points on each of said plurality of miniaturegrooves within each of said groove absent regions, and wherein saidoffset width above, said offset width below, said miniature groovepitch, said groove width, and said miniature groove width, each measuredin millimeters, satisfy the following relationship:

$\frac{\left( {{O\; W\; A} + {O\; W\; B}} \right)}{2} > \left( {\sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W}} - \sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W} - {M\; G\; W}}} \right)^{3}$

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology eachgroove absent region comprises at least four miniature grooves and lessthan eight miniature grooves.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology saidoffset width below and said offset width above of each of said pluralityof grooves are each greater than or equal to 0.352 mm.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology saidoffset width below and said offset width above of each of said pluralityof grooves are each greater than or equal to 0.402 mm.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology saidgrooves and said miniature grooves do not intersect one another.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology saidplurality of miniature grooves are limited to said central region ofsaid striking face.

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesa plurality of arcuate grooves limited to said toe region; wherein saidgrooves, said miniature grooves, and said arcuate grooves do notintersect one another

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesa golf club head, comprising: a body, said body comprising: a strikingface on a forward portion of said body, said striking face configured tostrike a golf ball; a sole on a bottom portion of said body; a top lineon a top portion of said body; a hosel configured to receive a shaft,said hosel located on a heel side of said body, said heel side oppositea toe side of said body; wherein said striking face comprises aplurality of grooves formed therein, each of said plurality of groovesextending horizontally across said striking face; each of said pluralityof grooves having a groove width greater than or equal to 0.500 mm;wherein said striking face comprises a front surface, and wherein saidgroove width of each groove is the distance between an uppermostintersection of each groove and said front surface and a lowermostintersection of each groove and said front surface; wherein saidstriking face comprises a center region, a toe region, and a heelregion, said center region extending from a toe most portion of saidgrooves to a heel most portion of said grooves, said heel region locatedon a heel side of said center region and said toe region located on atoe side of said center region; and a plurality of miniature groovesformed in said striking face, each of said plurality of miniaturegrooves extending across said striking face parallel to said grooves,each of said plurality of miniature grooves having a miniature groovewidth of less than 0.500 mm, wherein said miniature groove width is thedistance between an uppermost intersection of each miniature groove andsaid front surface and a lowermost intersection of each miniature grooveand said front surface; wherein offset width below is the distancebetween said lowermost intersection of each of said plurality of groovesand said front surface and the closest intersection of said plurality ofminiature grooves and said front surface, wherein offset width above isthe distance between said uppermost intersection of each of said groovesand said front surface and the closest intersection of said plurality ofminiature grooves and said front surface, wherein said offset widthbelow and said offset width above of each of said plurality of groovesare each greater than or equal to 0.352 mm; wherein said striking facecomprises a plurality of groove absent regions, said groove absentregions located between each pair of said plurality of grooves, whereineach groove absent region comprises at least three miniature grooves.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology saidoffset width below and said offset width above of each of said pluralityof grooves are each greater than or equal to 0.402 mm.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology saidgrooves and said miniature grooves do not intersect one another.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology eachgroove absent region comprises at least four miniature grooves and lessthan eight miniature grooves.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology eachgroove absent region comprises five miniature grooves.

In an additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology saidplurality of miniature grooves limited to said central region of saidstriking face.

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology aplurality of arcuate grooves limited to said toe region; wherein saidgrooves, said miniature grooves, and said arcuate grooves do notintersect one another.

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesa golf club head golf club head, comprising a body having a strikingface on a forward portion of said body, said striking face configured tostrike a golf ball; a sole on a bottom portion of said body; a top lineon a top portion of said body; and a hosel configured to receive ashaft, said hosel located on a heel side of said body. The striking facecomprises a plurality of grooves formed therein, each of said pluralityof grooves extending horizontally across said striking face; each ofsaid plurality of grooves having a groove width greater than or equal to0.500 mm. The striking face comprises a front surface and the groovewidth of each groove is the distance between an uppermost intersectionof each groove and the front surface and a lowermost intersection ofeach groove and the front surface. The striking face also comprises acenter region, a toe region, and a heel region, where the center regionextends from a toe most portion of the grooves to a heel most portion ofthe grooves. The heel region is located on a heel side of said centerregion and the toe region is located on a toe side of said centerregion. At least a portion of the striking face comprises an aluminumplating having a thickness that is between 0.0001 inch and 0.002 inch.

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesa striking face with an aluminum plating and a plurality of miniaturegrooves. The plurality of miniature grooves are limited to the centralregion of said striking face, with each of the plurality of miniaturegrooves extending across said striking face parallel to grooves.Preferably, each of the plurality of miniature grooves has a miniaturegroove width of less than 0.500 mm. The striking face can furthercomprises a plurality of arcuate grooves that are limited to said toeregion such that the grooves, the miniature grooves, and the arcuategrooves do not intersect one another.

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesa striking face that is comprises an aluminum plating and a plurality ofgrooves and groove absent regions. The groove absent regions are locatedbetween each pair of grooves and each groove absent region comprises atleast three miniature grooves. Preferably, each groove absent regioncomprises at least four miniature grooves and less than eight miniaturegrooves and more preferably each groove absent region comprises fiveminiature grooves. In the preferred embodiment, there is an offset widthbetween each of the grooves and the plurality of miniature grooves thatis greater than or equal to 0.352 mm. The offset width above, the offsetwidth below, the miniature groove pitch, the groove width, and theminiature groove width, each measured in millimeters, preferablysatisfies the following relationship:

$\frac{\left( {{O\; W\; A} + {O\; W\; B}} \right)}{2} > \left( {\sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W}} - \sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W} - {M\; G\; W}}} \right)^{3}$

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesgolf club head, comprising: a body having a striking face on a forwardportion of said body, a sole on a bottom portion of said body, a topline on a top portion of said body and a hosel configured to receive ashaft. The striking face preferably comprises a plurality of grooves andminiature grooves formed in a center region. The body is also comprisedof a steel surface with a nickel plating layer disposed over the steelsurface and an aluminum plating disposed over the nickel plating. Inthis embodiment, it is preferred that the nickel plating forms a firstgroove edge radius of less than 0.01 inch and the aluminum plating formsa second groove edge radius that is larger than the first groove edgeradius and less than 0.011 inch. Preferably, the aluminum plating isformed from and aluminum material having greater than 95 percentaluminum, and more preferably, greater than 99.5 percent aluminum.Preferably, the aluminum plating has a thickness that is between 0.0001inch and 0.002 inch and each of said miniature grooves has a miniaturegroove depth that is less than the aluminum plating thickness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings form a part of the specification and are to beread in conjunction therewith. The illustrated embodiments, however, aremerely examples and are not intended to be limiting. Like referencenumbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an iron type golf club head including a plurality ofgrooves.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section of the club head of FIG. 1 along agroove.

FIG. 3 illustrates the cross section of FIG. 2 including a groovecutter.

FIG. 4 illustrates an iron type golf club head including a plurality ofminiature grooves.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section of the golf club head of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a detail view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a detail view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a detail view of FIG. 5 including a miniature groove cutter.

FIG. 9 illustrates an iron type golf club head divided into threeregions.

FIG. 10 illustrates an iron type golf club head including a plurality ofminiature grooves.

FIG. 11 illustrates an iron type golf club head including a plurality ofminiature grooves and a plurality of arcuate grooves.

FIG. 12 illustrates another cross section embodiment of the golf clubhead of FIG. 4.

FIG. 13 illustrates yet another cross section embodiment of the golfclub head of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the present disclosure. Theillustrative embodiments described in the detailed description,drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments maybe utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from thespirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will bereadily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, asgenerally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can bearranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety ofdifferent configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated andform part of this disclosure. For example, a system or device may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspectsset forth herein. In addition, such a system or device may beimplemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure,functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or otherthan one or more of the aspects set forth herein. Alterations andfurther modifications of inventive features illustrated herein, andadditional applications of the principles of the inventions asillustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant artand having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered withinthe scope of the invention.

Other than in the operating examples, or unless otherwise expresslyspecified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentagessuch as those for amounts of materials, moments of inertias, center ofgravity locations, loft and draft angles, and others in the followingportion of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word“about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with thevalue, amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary,the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification andattached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon thedesired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. Atthe very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of thedoctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numericalparameter should at least be construed in light of the number ofreported significant digits and by applying ordinary roundingtechniques.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forththe broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numericalvalues set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspossible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certainerrors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in theirrespective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges ofvarying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that anycombination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used.

In describing the present technology, the following terminology may havebeen used: The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, forexample, reference to an item includes reference to one or more items.The term “plurality” refers to two or more of an item. The term“substantially” means that the recited characteristic, parameter, orvalue need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations,including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurementaccuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in theart, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect thecharacteristic was intended to provide. A plurality of items may bepresented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists shouldbe construed as though each member of the list is individuallyidentified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual memberof such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any othermember of the same lists solely based on their presentation in a commongroup without indications to the contrary. Furthermore, where the terms“and” and “or” are used in conjunction with a list of items, they are tobe interpreted broadly, in that any one or more of the listed items maybe used alone or in combination with other listed items. The term“alternatively” refers to a selection of one of two or morealternatives, and is not intended to limit the selection of only thoselisted alternative or to only one of the listed alternatives at a time,unless the context clearly indicated otherwise.

Features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent fromthe following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings. After considering this discussion, andparticularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description”one will understand how the illustrated features serve to explaincertain principles of the present disclosure.

The present invention is directed to a golf club head with an improvedstriking surface. FIG. 1 illustrates an iron type golf club head 1. Thegolf club head 1 includes a body 10 including a striking face 11, a sole13, a top line 14, a heel 14, a toe 16, and a hosel 17. The frontsurface 18 of the striking face 11, which includes grooves 12 formedtherein, and the sole 13 may be unitary with the body 10, or they may beseparate bodies, such as inserts, coupled thereto. While the club head 1is illustrated as an iron type golf club head, the present invention mayalso pertain to a utility type golf club head or a wood type golf clubhead.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a cross section of the club head 1 along agroove 12. Grooves 12 are machined into the front surface 18 of thestriking face 11. Grooves 12 extend from a toe end of the club head 1 toa heel end of the club head 1. Grooves 12 are radiused at the toe andheel portions of the club head 1. The club head 1 is retained in a mold,which preferably is formed of a material soft enough to not damage theclub head 1 yet resilient enough to firmly retain the golf club head 1,and a groove cutter 20, preferably a round cutter or a saw cutter, isused to form the grooves 12. As shown, the toe and heel portions areradiused about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to alongitudinal axis of the groove 12. Furthermore, that axis of rotationis approximately parallel to face 11 of club head 1. Having radiusedgrooves 12 facilitates removal of dirt, grass, sand, and other materialsthat typically become embedded within the grooves of a golf club duringnormal use by eliminating corners that can trap these materials. FIG. 3shows a preferred groove cutting setup illustrating groove cutter 20with groove 12. Details about grooves and groove manufacture can befound in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,758,449 to Gilbert, et al.,hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Any definitions,terminology, or characterizations of the invention included herein shalltake precedence over any conflicting information provided in anymaterial incorporated by reference.

FIG. 4 illustrates an iron type golf club head 1 including a roughenedstriking surface texture. The face 11 of the club head 1 of the presentinvention is also enhanced to provide additional ball control andenhanced performance. The strike surface 11 is provided with a roughenedtexture. A common measure of roughness in surface finish is averageroughness, Ra. Ra, also known as Arithmetic Average (AA) and Center LineAverage (CLA), is a measure of the distance from the peaks and valleysto the center line or mean. It is calculated as the integral of theabsolute value of the roughness profile height over the evaluationlength:

${Ra} = {\frac{1}{L}{\int_{0}^{L}{{{r(x)}}{dx}}}}$

Providing a textured strike face allows the golfer to apply morefriction to the ball during use, allowing the golfer to put more spin onthe ball and have greater control of the ball. Conventionally, golfershave to take a full swing to induce enough golf ball spin to control theball movement on a golf green. With the golf club head of the presentinvention, a golfer can induce golf ball spin in “partial” shots, orshots when the golfer is not taking a full swing. The textured strikesurface of the present invention also distributes the shear forceresulting from the golf swing over a greater area of the golf ball. Thisreduces cover damage and extends golf ball life.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the surface texture can include a plurality ofminiature grooves 30. The miniature grooves 30 are smaller than thegrooves 12 described above. In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG.4, the miniature grooves 30 are oriented parallel to the grooves 12. Theminiature grooves 30 can extend from the heel side of the golf club headto the toe side of the golf club head. The miniature grooves 30 can besubstantially straight as illustrated in FIG. 4. A plurality ofminiature grooves 30 can be formed between each pair of grooves 12.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section of the golf club head 1 of FIG. 4.FIGS. 6 and 7 zoom in on portions of that cross section. Preferably, thefront surface 18 of the striking face 11 is machined flat prior toforming the grooves 12 and miniature grooves 30. Next, the grooves 12are formed into the striking face 11 as described above. Finally, theminiature grooves 30 are formed into the striking face 11. The grooves12 and miniature grooves 30 are created by removing material from thestriking face 11, and creating voids in the front surface 18 of thestriking face 11. Alternatively, the miniature grooves 30 can be formedprior to the grooves 12. In yet another embodiment, the grooves 12 andminiature grooves 30 can be formed simultaneously.

It is preferable that none of the miniature grooves 30 intersect thegrooves 12. In order to create as much backspin as possible when thegolf club head 1 strikes the golf ball, the grooves 12 must be createdas aggressively as allowed by the rules of golf. An inventive way ofensuring that is possible, is by spacing the miniature grooves 30 fromthe grooves 12. This ensures the area where the grooves 12 are formed,is not encumbered in any way by any additional surface texturing, andthat the groove 12 can be formed as designed, without any risk of anyother geometries affecting an accurate measurement of the groove 12characteristics. An additional benefit of spacing the miniature grooves30 from the groove 12, is that the groove 12 appears larger to aconsumer. The miniature grooves 30 can contrast against the groove 12and the spacing between the groove 12 and the miniature grooves 30,giving the consumer the impression the groove 12 is larger and moreeffective at gripping the golf ball during impact. The area between eachpair of grooves 12 on the front surface 18 of the striking face can eachbe referred to as groove absent portions 40. In order to maximizebackspin of the golf ball at impact, miniature grooves 30 are added tothe groove absent portions 40, increasing the amount of friction betweenthe front surface 18 of the striking face 11 and the golf ball duringimpact. In some embodiments, and as illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, the crosssection of the miniature grooves 30 are of substantially constantradius. In some embodiments, each miniature groove 30 may butt upagainst one another. More preferably, and as illustrated in FIG. 7,portions of the front surface 18 of the striking face 11 will remainbetween each successive miniature groove 30. In other words, theminiature groove pitch MGP is greater than the miniature groove widthMGW.

For purposes of this application, groove width GW is defined by thedistance between the points at which each side of the groove 12intersects the front surface 18 the striking face 11. The miniaturegroove width MGW is defined by the distance between the points at whicheach side of the miniature groove 30 intersects the front surface 18 ofthe striking face 11. The offset width below OWB is the distance betweenthe lower intersection of the groove 12 and the front surface of thestriking face and the closest intersection of a miniature groove 30 andthe front surface of the striking face. The offset width above OWA isthe distance between the upper intersection of the groove 12 and thefront surface 18 of the striking face 11 and the closest intersection ofa miniature groove 30 and the front surface 18 of the striking face 11.The miniature groove pitch MGP is the distance between correspondingpoints on each miniature groove 30. The miniature groove radius MGR isthe radius of each miniature groove 30.

In some embodiments, the grooves 12 and miniature grooves 30 can haveany combination of the following measurements. The groove width GW canbe greater than or equal to 0.808 millimeters (mm) and less than orequal to 0.908 mm. The offset width above OWA can be greater than orequal to 0.402 mm and less than or equal to 0.502 mm. The offset widthbelow OWB can be greater than or equal to 0.402 mm and less than orequal to 0.502 mm. The miniature groove width MGW can be greater than orequal to 0.180 mm and less than or equal to 0.280 mm. The miniaturegroove pitch MGP can be greater than or equal to 0.200 mm and less thanor equal to 0.300 mm. The miniature groove can have a substantiallyconstant radius. The miniature groove radius can be greater than orequal to 0.457 mm and less than or equal to 0.657 mm. The groove widthGW can be greater than or equal to 0.758 mm and less than or equal to0.958 mm. The offset width above OWA can be greater than or equal to0.352 mm and less than or equal to 0.552 mm. The offset width below OWBcan be greater than or equal to 0.352 mm and less than or equal to 0.552mm. The miniature groove width MGW can be greater than or equal to 0.130mm and less than or equal to 0.330 mm. The miniature groove pitch MGPcan be greater than or equal to 0.150 mm and less than or equal to 0.350mm. The miniature groove radius can be greater than or equal to 0.357 mmand less than or equal to 0.757 mm. The groove width GW can be greaterthan or equal to 0.708 mm and less than or equal to 1.008 mm. The offsetwidth above OWA can be greater than or equal to 0.302 mm and less thanor equal to 0.602 mm. The offset width below OWB can be greater than orequal to 0.302 mm and less than or equal to 0.602 mm. The miniaturegroove width MGW can be greater than or equal to 0.080 mm and less thanor equal to 0.380 mm. The miniature groove pitch MGP can be greater thanor equal to 0.100 mm and less than or equal to 0.400 mm. The miniaturegroove radius can be greater than or equal to 0.257 mm and less than orequal to 0.857 mm. In some embodiments, the offset width above OWA andthe offset width below OWB can be substantially the same. Additionally,unless otherwise noted, each plurality of miniature grooves 30 in eachgroove absent region 40 shares the same characteristics as otherpluralities of miniature grooves 30 in other groove absent regions 40 onthe striking face 11.

Testing has confirmed that particular relationships between groove 12and miniature groove 30 measurements result in optimal performancecharacteristics of the golf club head 1. In particular, grooves 12 andminiature grooves 30 satisfying the following relationship, tend to havenear optimal performance:

$\frac{\left( {{O\; W\; A} + {O\; W\; B}} \right)}{2} > \left( {\sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W}} - \sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W} - {M\; G\; W}}} \right)^{3}$

Wherein:

OWA=offset width above

OWB=offset width below

MGP=miniature groove pitch

GW=groove width

MGW=miniature groove width

All values measured in millimeters

FIG. 5 illustrates one method of creating miniature grooves 30. Similarto how the grooves are created, a miniature groove cutter 120 can beused to remove material from the front surface 18 of the striking face11. In some embodiments, and as illustrated in FIG. 8, the miniaturegroove cutter 120 can cut a plurality of miniature grooves 30simultaneously. The miniature groove cutter 120 can include severalcutting portions 121 configured to strategically remove material fromthe front surface 18 of the striking face 11 at the designated areaswhere the miniature grooves 30 are to go. The miniature groove cutter120 can include recessed portions 122 in between each cutting portion122 and extended recess portions 123 in between each set of cuttingportions 121. The extended recess portions 123 can extend over each ofthe grooves 12 and offset width above OWA and offset width below OWBareas. The recessed portions 122 and extended recess portions 123 areconfigured to not remove any material from the golf club head 1. Theminiature groove cutter 120 spins as it translates across the strikingface 11, about an axis perpendicular to the striking face 11 andperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of each miniature groove 30,cutting the miniature grooves 30 out of the golf club head. In someembodiments, the miniature groove cutter 120 can cut all of thehorizontal miniature grooves 30 at the same time.

FIG. 9 illustrates the striking face of an iron type golf club head 1divided into three regions. The golf club head can have a toe region201, a center region 202, and a heel region 203. The center region isdefined by the extent of the grooves 12. The toe region 201 is locatedon the toe side of the center region 202 and the heel region 203 islocated on the heel side of the center region 202. The heel side 15located adjacent the hosel 17 and the toe side 16 located opposite thehosel 17. In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the miniaturegrooves are formed in the center region 202. In another embodiment, asillustrated in FIG. 10, the miniature grooves are formed in the centerregion 202 as well as the toe region 201. In another embodiment, notillustrated, the miniature grooves 30 can also extend into the heelregion 203. In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 11, theminiature grooves 30 are formed in the center region 202 and a secondset of miniature grooves 32 are formed in the toe region 201. Theminiature grooves 30 in the center region are formed parallel to thegrooves 12 as described above. The second set of miniature grooves 32 inthe toe region 201 are different from the first set of miniature grooves30 in the center region 202. The second set of miniature grooves 32 canbe curved. In some embodiments, the second set of miniature grooves 32can be formed with a fly cutter or similar tool.

As set forth above with reference to at least FIGS. 1-8, the presentinvention preferably includes a golf club head 1 comprising a body 10having a striking face 11 on a forward portion of the body 1, thestriking face being configured to strike a golf ball; a sole 13 on abottom portion of the body 1; a top line 14 on a top portion of the body1; and a hosel 17 configured to receive a shaft, the hosel is located ona heel side 15 of the body 1. The striking face comprises a plurality ofgrooves 12 formed therein, with each of grooves extending horizontallyacross the striking face 11 from a toe side 16 to the heel side 15,forming a central section of the golf club head 1. As set forth above,each of the plurality of grooves 12 has a groove width GW greater thanor equal to 0.500 mm. The striking face 11 further comprises a frontsurface 18 and the groove width GW of each groove 12 is the distancebetween an uppermost intersection of each groove 12 and the frontsurface 18 and a lowermost intersection of each groove 12 and the frontsurface 18.

As shown in the cross sectional views in FIGS. 12 and 13, the presentinvention also preferably comprises a steel club head with an aluminumplating layer 3 on at least the front surface 18. More preferably, theentire golf club head 1 is covered by an anodized aluminum plating layer3. Preferably, the aluminum plating has a thickness T that is between0.0001 inch and 0.002 inch.

Preferably, the golf club head 1 is formed from cast or forged steel andnickel-plated according to ordinary processes. The nickel-plating ispreferably about 2 micrometers or greater. Preferably, the golf clubhead 1 is pretreated by cleaning the surface to remove fat, oxides andother impurities and includes at least a degreasing step and rinsingstep to remove the degreasing solution. The process can also include anelectrolytic degreasing step to remove oxides from the surface of thegolf club head. To apply the aluminum plating layer 3, the nickel-platedgolf club head 1 is preferably placed in a vacuum environment. Then thegolf club head 1 is placed into an activated bath that can include anaqueous inorganic acid in aliphatic mono- or di- or tri-hydric alcohol.The alcohol can be ethylene glycol for example. Then the golf club headcan be treated with a electrolyte solvent rinse before proceeding to theelectroplating process. The preferred process for electroplating thealuminum plating is pulse reverse plating. Details of the platingprocess are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 7,250,102, which is incorporatedby reference in its entirety herein.

Further, the outer surface of the golf club head 1 is preferablyanodized for corrosion resistance durability and coloring options.Anodizing forms an aluminum oxide layer that resist corrosion. When theanodizing is performed on a pure aluminum plating, greater than 99.5%aluminum, the electroplating is purer and more consistent than anodizedAL alloys.

The difference between golf club heads depicted in FIGS. 12 and 13 arethe timing of forming grooves 12 into the striking face 11. In FIG. 12,grooves 12 and miniature grooves 30 are formed into the striking face 11and then the aluminum plating is applied to the outer surface. Thus, inthis embodiment, the front surface 18 and the bottom of the grooves 12are aluminum plated. In FIG. 13, the golf club head is aluminum platedand then the grooves 12 and miniature grooves 30 are formed into thestriking face 11. Thus, the front surface 18 is aluminum plated but thebottom of the grooves 12 are not because the groove depth issignificantly greater than the thickness of the aluminum plating.

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesa striking face 11 with an anodized aluminum plating 3 and a pluralityof grooves 12 and miniature grooves 30. The plurality of miniaturegrooves 30 are preferably limited to the central region of said strikingface 11, with each of the plurality of miniature grooves 30 extendingacross said striking face 11 parallel to grooves 12. Preferably, each ofthe plurality of miniature grooves 30 has a miniature groove width ofless than 0.500 mm and a depth that is less than the thickness T of theanodized aluminum plating layer 3 such that the bottom of the miniaturegrooves 30 are anodized aluminum plated as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesan anodized aluminum plated golf club head 1 with a striking face 11that is comprises and a plurality of grooves 12 and groove absentregions 40. As set forth above, the groove absent regions 40 are locatedbetween each pair of grooves 12 and each groove absent region 40comprises at least three miniature grooves 30. Preferably, each grooveabsent 40 region comprises at least four miniature grooves 30 and lessthan eight miniature grooves 30 and more preferably each groove absentregion 40 comprises five miniature grooves 30. In the preferredembodiment, there is an offset width OWA and OWB between each of thegrooves 12 and the plurality of miniature grooves 30 that is greaterthan or equal to 0.352 mm. The offset width above OWA, the offset widthbelow OWB, the miniature groove pitch MGP, the groove width GW, and theminiature groove width MGW, each measured in millimeters, preferablysatisfies the following relationship:

$\frac{\left( {{O\; W\; A} + {O\; W\; B}} \right)}{2} > \left( {\sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W}} - \sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W} - {M\; G\; W}}} \right)^{3}$

An additional non-limiting embodiment of the present technology includesan anodized aluminum plated golf club head, comprising: a body 1 havinga striking face 11 on a forward portion of said body, a sole 13 on abottom portion of said body, a top line 14 on a top portion of said bodyand a hosel 17 configured to receive a shaft. The striking face 11preferably comprises a plurality of grooves 12 and miniature grooves 30formed in a center region between the heel 15 and the toe 10. The body 1is comprised of steel with a nickel plating layer disposed over thesteel and an aluminum plating 3 disposed over the nickel plating. Inthis embodiment, it is preferred that the nickel plating forms a firstgroove edge radius R1 of less than 0.01 inch and the aluminum platingforms a second groove edge radius R2 that is larger than the firstgroove edge radius and less than 0.011 inch. Preferably, the aluminumplating 3 is formed from an aluminum material having greater than 95percent aluminum, and more preferably, pure aluminum having greater than99.5 percent aluminum. Preferably, the aluminum plating 3 has athickness that is between 0.0001 inch and 0.002 inch and each of saidminiature grooves 30 has a miniature groove depth that is less than thealuminum plating thickness T.

In describing the present technology herein, certain features that aredescribed in the context of separate implementations also can beimplemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely,various features that are described in the context of a singleimplementation also can be implemented in multiple implementationsseparately or in any suitable sub combination. Moreover, althoughfeatures may be described above as acting in certain combinations andeven initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimedcombination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and theclaimed combination may be directed to a sub combination or variation ofa sub combination.

Various modifications to the implementations described in thisdisclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and thegeneric principles defined herein may be applied to otherimplementations without departing from the spirit or scope of thisdisclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theimplementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with this disclosure as well as the principle and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

We claim:
 1. A golf club head, comprising: a body, said body comprising:a striking face on a forward portion of said body, said striking faceconfigured to strike a golf ball; a sole on a bottom portion of saidbody; a top line on a top portion of said body; a hosel configured toreceive a shaft, said hosel located on a heel side of said body, saidheel side opposite a toe side of said body; wherein said striking facecomprises a plurality of grooves formed therein, each of said pluralityof grooves extending horizontally across said striking face; each ofsaid plurality of grooves having a groove width greater than or equal to0.500 mm; wherein said striking face comprises a front surface, andwherein said groove width of each groove is the distance between anuppermost intersection of each groove and said front surface and alowermost intersection of each groove and said front surface; whereinsaid striking face comprises a center region, a toe region, and a heelregion, said center region extending from a toe most portion of saidgrooves to a heel most portion of said grooves, said heel region locatedon a heel side of said center region and said toe region located on atoe side of said center region; wherein at least a portion of thestriking face comprises an anodized aluminum plating having a thicknessthat is between 0.0001 inch and 0.002 inch.
 2. The golf club head ofclaim 1, wherein said striking face further comprises a plurality ofminiature grooves formed in said striking face, said plurality ofminiature grooves limited to said central region of said striking face,each of said plurality of miniature grooves extending across saidstriking face parallel to said grooves, each of said plurality ofminiature grooves having a miniature groove width of less than 0.500 mm,wherein said miniature groove width is the distance between an uppermostintersection of each miniature groove and said front surface and alowermost intersection of each miniature groove and said front surface.3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said striking face furthercomprises a plurality of arcuate grooves limited to said toe region;wherein said grooves, said miniature grooves, and said arcuate groovesdo not intersect one another.
 4. The golf club head of claim 2, whereinsaid striking face comprises a plurality of groove absent regions, saidgroove absent regions located between each pair of said plurality ofgrooves, wherein each groove absent region comprises at least threeminiature grooves.
 5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein each grooveabsent region comprises at least four miniature grooves and less thaneight miniature grooves.
 6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein eachgroove absent region comprises five miniature grooves.
 7. The golf clubhead of claim 2, wherein offset width below is the distance between saidlowermost intersection of each of said plurality of grooves and saidfront surface and the closest intersection of said plurality ofminiature grooves and said front surface, wherein offset width above isthe distance between said uppermost intersection of each of said groovesand said front surface and the closest intersection of said plurality ofminiature grooves and said front surface, wherein said offset widthbelow and said offset width above of each of said plurality of groovesare each greater than or equal to 0.352 mm.
 8. The golf club head ofclaim 2, wherein offset width below is the distance between saidlowermost intersection of each of said plurality of grooves and saidfront surface and the closest intersection of said plurality ofminiature grooves and said front surface, wherein offset width above isthe distance between said uppermost intersection of each of said groovesand said front surface and the closest intersection of said plurality ofminiature grooves and said front surface, wherein miniature groove pitchis the distance between corresponding points on each of said pluralityof miniature grooves within each of said groove absent regions, andwherein said offset width above, said offset width below, said miniaturegroove pitch, said groove width, and said miniature groove width, eachmeasured in millimeters, satisfy the following relationship:$\frac{\left( {{O\; W\; A} + {O\; W\; B}} \right)}{2} > \left( {\sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W}} - \sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W} - {M\; G\; W}}} \right)^{3}$9. A golf club head, comprising: a body, said body comprising: astriking face on a forward portion of said body, said striking faceconfigured to strike a golf ball; a sole on a bottom portion of saidbody; a top line on a top portion of said body; a hosel configured toreceive a shaft, said hosel located on a heel side of said body, saidheel side opposite a toe side of said body; wherein said striking facecomprises a plurality of grooves formed therein, each of said pluralityof grooves extending horizontally across said striking face; each ofsaid plurality of grooves having a groove width greater than or equal to0.500 mm; wherein said striking face comprises a front surface, andwherein said groove width of each groove is the distance between anuppermost intersection of each groove and said front surface and alowermost intersection of each groove and said front surface; whereinsaid striking face comprises a center region, a toe region, and a heelregion, said center region extending from a toe most portion of saidgrooves to a heel most portion of said grooves, said heel region locatedon a heel side of said center region and said toe region located on atoe side of said center region; and wherein at least a portion of thestriking face is comprised of a steel surface with a nickel platinglayer disposed over the steel surface and an aluminum plating disposedover the nickel plating.
 10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein saidnickel plating forms a first groove edge radius of less than 0.01 inchand said aluminum plating forms a second groove edge radius that islarger than the first groove edge radius and less than 0.011 inch. 11.The golf club head of claim 9, wherein said aluminum plating is formedfrom an aluminum material having greater than 95 percent aluminum. 12.The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said aluminum plating is formedfrom an aluminum material having greater than 99.5 percent aluminum. 13.The golf club head of claim 12, wherein said striking face furthercomprises a plurality of miniature grooves formed in said striking face,each of said plurality of miniature grooves extending across saidstriking face parallel to said grooves, each of said plurality ofminiature grooves having a miniature groove width of less than 0.500 mm,wherein said miniature groove width is the distance between an uppermostintersection of each miniature groove and said front surface and alowermost intersection of each miniature groove and said front surface;wherein said striking face further comprises a plurality of grooveabsent regions, said groove absent regions located between each pair ofsaid plurality of grooves, wherein each groove absent region comprisesat least three miniature grooves; wherein offset width below is thedistance between said lowermost intersection of each of said pluralityof grooves and said front surface and the closest intersection of saidplurality of miniature grooves and said front surface, wherein offsetwidth above is the distance between said uppermost intersection of eachof said grooves and said front surface and the closest intersection ofsaid plurality of miniature grooves and said front surface, whereinminiature groove pitch is the distance between corresponding points oneach of said plurality of miniature grooves within each of said grooveabsent regions, and wherein said offset width above, said offset widthbelow, said miniature groove pitch, said groove width, and saidminiature groove width, each measured in millimeters, satisfy thefollowing relationship:$\frac{\left( {{O\; W\; A} + {O\; W\; B}} \right)}{2} > \left( {\sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W}} - \sqrt{{M\; G\; P} + {G\; W} - {M\; G\; W}}} \right)^{3}$14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein each groove absent regioncomprises at least four miniature grooves and less than eight miniaturegrooves.
 15. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein said offset widthbelow and said offset width above of each of said plurality of groovesare each greater than or equal to 0.352 mm.
 16. The golf club head ofclaim 14, wherein said aluminum plating has a thickness that is between0.0001 inch and 0.002 inch and each of said miniature grooves has aminiature groove depth that is less than the aluminum plating thickness.17. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein said grooves and saidminiature grooves do not intersect one another.
 18. The golf club headof claim 9, wherein the entire golf club head has an anodized aluminumplating layer.